October, 1969, scenes from Potlatch Forests' Idaho plant. A Towmotor forklift driver carefully maneuvers his unit to grasp a large roll of bleached kraft market pulp from similar stacked towers. The forest of kraft pulp rolls stand many feet higher than the seated driver. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York.
Potlatch Forests, Inc. (Lewiston, ID); Paper industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Hoisting machinery; Industrial facilities--Idaho;
Rayonier logging operations at Sappho in July, 1961. Logs are being lowered by cable (wire rope) under the supervision of Rayonier employees. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel, Seattle.
ca. 1956. Port McNeil, logging. This is possibly a company home provided for management. It is larger and more ornate than those provided for the workers. The window boxes bloom with flowers and the yard is surrounded by a white board fence. The poles sticking up from the beach area are possible oyster beds.
ca. 1956. Alaska Pine, Rayflo plant at Marpole. Experimentation was an important part of research at Rayonier and its Canadian subsidiary Alaska Pine. Cellulose and timber production produced a large amount of wasted byproducts which the company felt could be developed into the products of the future. Rayflo was one of these products; developed only a few years prior, it was in high demand in the oil industry and being studied for use in the manufacture of ceramics. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)
Lumber industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Chemical industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Alaska Pine & Cellulose Limited (Vancouver B.C.);
ca. 1956. Alaska Pine; Rayflo plant at Marpole. Alaska Pine, a Canadian subsidiary of Rayonier Inc., had a research center in its Vancouver B.C. offices. It was used to quality control test the cellulose and the products manufactured from it. They also experimented with the residue from the process, searching for new products. The new lab facilities in Vancouver were completed in 1954. More money was being invested in research, in hopes of creating new products and more company growth.
Lumber industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Chemical industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Alaska Pine & Cellulose Limited (Vancouver B.C.);
ca. 1956. Alaska Pine, sawmill plant at New Westminster, B.C. Alaska Pine had large modern sawmills at the Marpole (Vancouver) and New Westminster Sawmill Divisions. The combined daily capacity of both mills was a million board feet of lumber. This is the paved yard for intermediate lumber storage at Westminster. Some 10,000,000 board feet of material were held here. 49 % of Alaska Pine production consists of Western hemlock, 31% red cedar, 14% Douglas fir and the remainder Sitka spruce, white pine and yellow cypress. The mills produced a variety of products for wholesale markets sold in the U.S. and Canada. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)
ca. 1956. Alaska Pine, Marpole Division sawmill plant, Vancouver B.C. A fork lift is being used to lift a large load of lumber. The Canadian mills produced a broad range of commercial lumber products in Douglas fir, balsam fir, western hemlock, Sitka spruce and red cedar. They sold to markets in the United States, Canada and other countries under the brand "A Crown P. " (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)
New construction at the Rayonier and Rayflo plants, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. This is believed to be the chemical cellulose plant of Rayonier's Canadian subsidiary Alaska Pine at Port Alice, British Columbia, near the northwestern end of Vancouver Island. The mill is surrounded by fast growing forests that supply an unending source of raw materials. Nearby Victoria Lake provides a fresh water supply and deep water docking provides an outlet for overseas shipment. The plant was undergoing large scale construction to increase the productivity of the mill. Most of the construction was scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 1957, at a cost of $14,000,000. (1956 Annual Report, Rayonier Inc.)
Lumber industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Alaska Pine & Cellulose Limited (Port Alice B.C.);
ca. 1956. Alaska Pine, Rayflo plant at Marpole. Two men stand on the scaffolding erected around the tank being constructed for Alaska Pine's new plant in Vancouver, B.C. The plant will produce rayflo, a chemical manufactured from Hemlock byproducts and used in the production of oil well drilling mud. Alaska Pine was the subsidiary of Rayonier Inc. and one of the largest timber concerns on the west coast. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)
Lumber industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Chemical industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Alaska Pine & Cellulose Limited (Vancouver B.C.);
ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Two hard hatted workers from Rayonier Inc. stand in an old growth forest; seeming tiny next to the huge old trees. The enormous stands of forest in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia seemed unlimited. Although the demand for timber was down, it was at an all time high for chemical cellulose products manufactured from wood. Rayonier had its second best money earning year in company history in 1956, it finished slightly behind 1955. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)
Lumber industry--Grays Harbor--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Rayonier, Inc. (Grays Harbor);
ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. A man maneuvers a large piece of International machinery used to move logs. The machinery is operating in a clear cut and has a trailer arrangement on the back for moving logs and an attachment on the front for pushing the logs. Photographs taken on the timber lands belonging to Rayonier, Inc. Rayonier had a Grays Harbor tree farm totaling over 111,000 acres that had been harvested over 30 years prior and was producing a new crop of timber for the corporate giant.
Lumber industry--Grays Harbor--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Rayonier, Inc. (Grays Harbor);
ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Clear cuts can be seen throughout the forrest dotting the hills where the trees have been harvested. These areas would be replanted for future harvests. Rayonier had a Grays Harbor tree farm that totaled over 111,000 acres.
Lumber industry--Grays Harbor--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Rayonier, Inc. (Grays Harbor);
ca. 1956. Alaska Pine, sawmill plant at New Westminster, B.C. Alaska Pine had large modern sawmills at the Marpole (Vancouver) and New Westminster Sawmill Divisions. The combined daily capacity of both mills was a million board feet of lumber. This is the paved yard for intermediate lumber storage at Westminster. Some 10,000,000 board feet of material were held here. 49 % of Alaska Pine production consists of Western hemlock, 31% red cedar, 14% Douglas fir and the remainder Sitka spruce, white pine and yellow cypress. The mills produced a variety of products for wholesale markets sold in the U.S. and Canada. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)
ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Two hard hatted workers from Rayonier Inc. stand in an old growth forest; seeming tiny next to the huge old trees. The enormous stands of forest in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia seemed unlimited. Although the demand for timber was down, it was at an all time high for chemical cellulose products manufactured from wood. Rayonier had its second best money earning year in company history in 1956, it finished slightly behind 1955. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)
Lumber industry--Grays Harbor--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Rayonier, Inc. (Grays Harbor);
ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Two hard hatted workers from Rayonier Inc. stand in an old growth forest. This photograph really shows the size of these enormous trees, the loggers appear tiny next to them. This stand of hemlock is approximately 80 years old. The trees are 110 - 125 feet high and average 24 inches in diameter. This track was recently thinned to promote growth of the best trees. Rayonier and its Canadian subsidiary Alaska Pine produced chemical cellulose, pulp, paper and lumber. They were also experimenting in developing new products called "silvichemicals" from the by products of cellulose manufacture. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)
Lumber industry--Grays Harbor--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Rayonier, Inc. (Grays Harbor);
An M.A. Couch truck is slowly making a turn past the Bellingham Bedding Co. and is careful not to dislodge neither the young model perched on the truck's cab or the giant peeler log on its bed. Georgia-Pacific Plywood Co. supplied several of the large Douglas fir logs for a parade down the main streets of Bellingham on November 27, 1954. Signs on the massive logs indicated that each peeler log would be sufficient to supply enough plywood to build 40 average homes. These logs were obtained locally from timber forests in Washington State. Photograph ordered by Georgia-Pacific Plywood Co.
Exterior of Puget Sound Plywood. A vertical sign juts out from the Puget Sound Plywood, Inc.'s company offices indicating it was "Soundbilt" in a November 23, 1954, photograph. The company plant is apparently next door across the parking lot. Puget Sound Plywood was situated on 3 1/2 acres in the Tideflats between the City and Middle Waterways. Railroad tracks shown here indicate that there was direct rail access for easy shipment of the company's plywood products. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Cooperatives--Tacoma;
An executive of Puget Sound Plywood, Inc., studies documents on November 23, 1954. The walls of his office are made of plywood; the wall closest to the door may be of knotted pine. His oversized desk is also made of wood; a copy of American Lumberman is visible on the top shelf of his inbox. Puget Sound Plywood was Tacoma's first cooperative plywood plant; it was founded in 1942 and had its facilities at 230 East F Street in the Tideflats. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Plywood; Desks; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Cooperatives--Tacoma;
Executives of Puget Sound Plywood, Inc., manufacturers of plywood, confer in the board room on November 23, 1954. The five executives all have documents in front of them and may be discussing an ad campaign as there is a copy of a cartoon introducing new usage for plywood. Harold Wenman (at right, in light coat) is apparently addressing his fellow workers. Mr. Wenman was an original shareholder of Puget Sound Plywood. The firm, the first cooperative plywood plant in Tacoma, opened on June 1, 1942. It had 298 members who each contributed $1000 and received the same hourly pay and percentage of the company's profits. Mr. Wenman had purchased his share before WWII and worked as the Office Manager for many years before becoming the General Manager from 1964-1970. A graduate of Knapps School of Business, he worked as an accountant for St. Regis, and then served as a staff sgt.in England during the war. Puget Sound Plywood continued to operate through the early 1980s but finally closed due to economic conditions. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Assn. (Additional information provided by a reader)
Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Wenman, Harold; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Plywood; Cooperatives--Tacoma; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Desks; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Workers at the Buffelen company appear to be in the process of stacking doors in a December 7, 1954, photograph. There are already two tall towers of doors against the wall. Two men are lifting a door while the third waits to toss it on top of the pile. Photograph ordered by the Condon Co., an advertising agency.
Logging near Mineral; ordered by Malcolm McGhie. A logging truck heavily loaded with huge tree trunks winds up a hill on a gravel road. Mist shrouds the clear cut area surrounding the road. Mineral is a small logging town on Mineral Lake fourteen miles north of Morton in north central Lewis County. During 1956, this private two lane road was built by St. Regis Paper Co. to replace a 12 mile logging railroad. Roads are now the main artery in the area that supplies the Tacoma mill. (1956 Annual Report, St. Regis Paper Co.) TPL-9428
Lumber industry--Mineral; Logs; Cutover lands--Mineral; Trucks; Woodcutters; Loggers--Mineral; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Firs; Forests--Mineral; Woodcutting--Mineral; St. Regis Paper Co. (Mineral);
Scenes from Potlatch Forests, Inc., pulp and paper operations, Lewiston, Idaho. Aerial view of what is probably the massive Potlatch Forests, Inc., plant in Lewiston, Idaho, taken in late September-early October, 1964. Plant operations were situated in what appears to be a sparsely populated area. Potlatch products could be conveyed by water, road, and railroad to customers nationwide. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York, for inclusion in the company's annual report.
Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Paper industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Idaho; Aerial photographs;
Man in hard hat inspects stacked logs that have labeled in this July, 1964, photograph. The logs are more than twice his height. It was possibly taken in the Olympic Peninsula since other photographs were taken in the Grays Harbor area roughly the same time for Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant from New York.
Scenes from Potlatch Forests, Inc., pulp and paper operations, Lewiston, Idaho. Warehouse employees in the foreground are busy packing loads of Clearwater facial tissue into cardboard boxes in the fall of 1964. The small boxes of tissues pass through a conveyer belt onto a rectangular table for shipping. A tall stack of boxes containing Clearwater toilet paper is nearby. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York, for inclusion in Potlatch Forests' annual report.
Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Paper industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Warehouses--Idaho--Lewiston; Potlatch Forests, Inc. (Lewiston, ID);
Man in hard hat surveys stand of tall trees. This photograph was taken on Potlatch Forests property in the Lewiston, Idaho, area, for possible inclusion in the company's annual report. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York.
Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Potlatch Forests, Inc. (Lewiston, ID); Trees;
Members of Douglas Fir Plywood Association chuckle over results of the golf tournament held as part of their 22nd annual meeting in June, 1958. It may be that one player has lost a wager; he is shown with a dollar bill in his hand. The D.F.P.A. met in Gearhart, Oregon, that year. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Golf--Oregon--Gearhart;
Plywood is being laid on this large roof in a May 16, 1958, photograph. One worker is observed with his back to the camera; he is standing on a portion of the roof which has a plywood sheet partially covering it. Long planks of wood are placed horizontally over the roofline. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Building construction; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Timber! A logger watches as a tall tree makes its slow descent to the ground in a September, 1958, photograph. Limbs may already have been pruned before the tree was toppled. Stumps and tree debris indicate that logging has already occurred in this area. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant. TPL-9430
Improved machinery helped workers in more efficient harvesting of designated logs. Cable lines attached to the rear of a bulldozer haul away two smaller logs. Another log waits its turn to be removed. The bulldozer would also serve as an earth remover to clear paths in the forest. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant. TPL-9429
Mess tents pitched on the old Central School playgrounds across from the Armory as cooks prepare to feed the men of the second battalion of the Washington National Guard 161st Infantry called out to control the violence associated with the 1935 Lumber workers' strike. In June of 1935, the mills in Tacoma and surrounded areas attempted to reopen with workers willing to return to work. Violence erupted between the returning workers and the strikers. Governor Clarence Martin ordered the Guard in on June 23rd, 1935 after reports that local authorities were unable to handle the situation. It was the second time the Guard was ordered out since the World War, the other two times being in 1919 and 1933. (TNT 6/24/1935, pg. 1 & 2)
